The winner and second are likely to meet again at the March showpiece.

Trainer, David Bridgwater said of the second: "I'm chuffed to bits. Cheltenham is a different track and this is the one they want to be worried about. I can guarantee I have missed more work than the other horse."

Sky Bet rate the eight-year-old as a 16/1 chance to go one better than he did last year.

Tom George, trainer of Mail De Bievre, who was just touched off for fourth by Junior, said: "I'm very happy with him. He's very exuberant and Paddy (Brennan) said with hindsight we should have run him over two miles."